Peace, Be Gone!
by Rainbow Cabbage
Summary: Erin Hart has returned for her seventh year at Hogwarts, a peaceful time between the wars.  However, when the mysterious Matt Knight drops into her life, her world gets flipped by a sudden prank war.  OCxOC; Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

_**Peace, Be Gone!**_

_Reading while walking is a dangerous habit._

"_Mark my words, Erin, my love," my dad always used to tell me, "One of these days, walking with your nose stuck in a different world is going to bring you trouble galore!"_

_I expect the trouble my dad imagined was more physical- falling down the stairs, or walking into the Black Lake and ruining my favorite trainers (this happened in Fifth Year). He was wrong about that big, but as a whole, he hit the nail bang on the head; so sharp that he could have been mistaken for a Seer._

_My name is Erin Hart, and when I was a teenager, I attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I don't find myself with the need to explain my beautiful, magical, castle of a home to you; if you're here, you must already know of it- these pages are filled with notes, letters, and stories of loves, wars, and friendships gone by. Indeed, Hogwarts is the place where life begins for witches and wizards._

_My time at Hogwarts was very peaceful- we were the class in-between the wars. We started school the year that Lily and James Potter lost their lives, when Voldemort was defeated the first time, and graduated with our N.E.W.T.s in hand well before the little Harry scrap returned to his world of magic._

_I won't deny it- my time at Hogwarts would have been peaceful to the point of boring had I not found a way around it. Even so, I didn't find my passion for pranks until my seventh and final year in those hallowed halls, when reading while walking brought me trouble galore._

**Chapter One**

My Hogwarts days were spent in the House of Gryffindor. As a seventh year, my friends and I had grown so close that we were nearly inseparable- Nymphadora Tonks, who went by her surname due to the outlandishness of her first was just as wild as the name she despised. A Metamorphmagus on the fast track to a life as an Auror, Tonks had been my best friend since we stepped onto the Hogwarts Express in First Year. My other best friend lived in the dorm next door, but still managed to be with us all the time- Charlie Weasley had won our affections after cussing out a seventh-year Slytherin two weeks into school. In fact, Charlie hung around Tonks and I so often that many Gryffindors speculated that he might be gay, but he quashed those rumors almost instantly by sneaking off for midnight snogs with his latest bimbo.

"Merlin!" Charlie yawned as the three of us stepped out of Transfiguration, "First day back and Minnie's already given us an entire bloody _essay!_"

"Shut up, Weasley," I nudged the ginger on his shoulder, "Don't start us off with negative House points."

Charlie grumbled a bit more, but mercifully shut up before taking off after his girl of the week, a pretty Hufflepuff named Sylvia Something-Or-Other.

"So, Erin," Tonks grinned, "We never really got into detail about your summer vacation, then. Any cute guys in America?"

I groaned, "Tonks, it's not like we went to Hollywood. I spent the summer in _Iowa,_ for cripessake."

"Farm boys can be cute," Tonks waggled her eyebrows, her formerly neon-green hair flickering to a deep purple.

"Sorry. No summer romances from Erin," I shrugged, "You _know_ I would have owled you straight away."

"Whatever," Tonks mumbled, shouldering her bag, "I'm heading back to the Common Room- Charlie mentioned an Exploding Snap tournament tonight. You game?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," I grinned in anticipation of watching Charlie try to regrow his eyebrows before a tryst with his Hufflepuff, "I've just got to drop by the library first and grab a book or two for this essay."

"Fine," Tonks groaned, "I'll walk back to the tower by myself, you nerd."

I waved goodbye, laughing, and took off for the library. I wasn't there very long- finding books goes rather quickly when Madame Pince is breathing down your neck. On my way up to the checkout desk, I spotted a Muggle book- a novelization of my favorite telly show, Doctor Who. I snatched it up, adding it to my pile. Madame Pince checked out the books, her evil little glare never once leaving my face. When she was done, I hastily shoved the books into my back, leaving the Doctor Who one out as I scurried out the door.

Once I was out of sight, I opened the Doctor Who book, trusting my feet to take me back to the Tower. After a few minutes, I was thoroughly engrossed, almost unaware that I was still walking through the deserted Hogwartsian corridors.

"_The Doctor seemed to almost dance as he swung around the controls on the TARDIS console, gracefully pulling levers and smashing buttons as the phone box whirred to life with the familiar wheezing-"_

My reading was cut off when I ran into somebody. I fell backwards onto the floor, my bag split, and books went everywhere.

"Dammit," I swore, scrambling to pick my stuff up. I quickly collected all my books before standing and looking to the person I'd run into, "I'm really sorry, I wasn't paying attention, and-"

He was holding out a book to me- the Doctor Who book I'd been reading when we'd collided. Also, he was a him. A tall him, with sandy brown hair and a mischievous smile, "Oh. Um, thanks, that's really nice of you," I looked around for my bag, well aware that I would have to repair it, but the boy I'd crashed into held it out to me, completely mended, "Merlin! You're quick- I didn't even hear you cast the spell."

I took the bag, dumping my books into it and slinging it over my shoulder. I stuck out my hand, "Hi, I'm Erin Hart." He looked at my hand, but didn't shake it or even reply. I awkwardly stuffed it into the pocket of my robes, mumbling, "Right. Not a hand shaker, then. Anyways, lucky I ran into you, then. Not very often you crash into good people in empty corridors, right? I mean, knowing my luck, I probably would have run into some rotten Slytherin."

He quirked an eyebrow. I couldn't help noticing that he had very nice eyes- dark brown and melty. Over all, he was actually really hot- I could see Quidditch-toned muscles under his standard-Hogwarts sweater vest.

"Nothing?" I grimaced. I had hoped that would have gotten a laugh at least, "Say, what House are you in? You look like a seventh year, but I don't think I've met you before- what's your name?"

He grinned at me, another mischievous smirk, before walking past me, calling behind him in an amused voice, "Nice meeting you, Erin Hart," and then he was gone.

I watched him disappear around the corner and frowned, "That was weird," I muttered to myself, "I wonder who he was."

By the time I got back to Gryffindor Tower, I'd completely forgotten the mysterious, good-looking boy. I hadn't forgotten him willingly- no, Peeves had fought him for my mind's attention, eventually winning out by dropping water balloons on me every five seconds until I escaped into the Portrait Hole, leaving a trail of curses behind me.

"Erin!" Tonks looked at me, eyes wide, "What happened to _you?_"

I had no doubt that I was soaked to the bone and looked terrible, but the smile Tonks was trying to hide told me there was something more. I was about to question her when I caught sight of my skin.

"I'm green!" I shrieked, "Bloody _Hell,_ Peeves!" I knew I was yelling at thin air- there was no way the Poltergeist could hear me, "You better watch yourself, demon! Next time I find you, I'm going to bring you back from the dead just so I can kill you myself!"

"Cripes, Erin," Tonks snickered, "You look like a plant."

I glared at her, noticing her hair was mimicking my skin's exact hue of green. She at least had the decency to look sheepish before changing her hair to a Gryffindor scarlet. I jammed my hand in my pocket, fumbling around for my wand, but instead drew out a piece of paper.

"What's this?" I mumbled to myself, unfolding it.

_Dearest Erin,_

_It has recently come to my attention that you are needlessly prejudiced against the great House of Salazar Slytherin. We had never done anything to you- until now. Enjoy wearing our colors- they're Slytherin's gift to you._

_Sincerely,_

_A Rotten Slytherin_

"Is this somebody's idea of a joke?" I groaned.

"What?" Tonks snatched the note out of my hands, scanning it quickly and laughing, "Damn, those snakes got you _good._"

"Tonks, I'm green!" I cried, "I can't go to dinner like this!"

"Says here you have to," Tonks informed me.

"What?" I asked, "Where?"

Tonks had flipped the note over, revealing a backside that I hadn't noticed.

_The green will only come off after you attend a meal in the Great Hall- I'll find you afterwards and give you the antidote._

"Great," I muttered, "Just. _Great._"

"Aw, come on, Erin," Tonks nudged my shoulder, "It's just a prank. And a rather good one, too."

"Tonks, they turned me green!" I rolled my eyes, "That's not clever in the slightest."

"Then get 'em back," Tonks shrugged.

"What?" I blinked.

"Well, whoever it is, they're planning on giving you the antidote after dinner," Tonks pointed out, "Once you find out who they are, you can prank them back."

"What, like a prank war?" I frowned. Rule breaking wasn't really my thing, and pranks usually involved breaking school codes.

"Yeah!" Tonks's eyes shone with excitement, "Oooh, this'll be brilliant! You'll be excellent at pranking, Erin, you're dead clever."

"I suppose I have a little ingenuity," I started to grin, realizing that pranks could be a hilarious stress reliever, what with the upcoming N.E.W.T.s, "Yeah, you're right- a prank could be fun. Just enough to get this Slytherin creep to back off."

"What Slytherin creep?" Charlie appeared from the portrait hole, "Did Anton Montague finally ask you out? I heard that nutter's had a thing for you since third year, Erin."

"What? No!" I shook my head, "Wait, Anton Montague? Really?" Charlie nodded, "Gross. Tonks, you explain. I'm going to wash up for dinner."

I scaled the stairs to my dorm, but not before hearing Charlie ask Tonks, "Does this have anything to do with why her skin is neon freaking green? Because I want to know that, too."

_**Author's Note:**_

**Hey, guys! This is my first Fanfic- I've mostly spent my time on this site reading other stories, and noticed that the **_**Harry Potter**_** fandom really lacked OCxOC stories- and then an idea came to me. So, here it is- the first chapter of Peace, Be Gone! I plan to get more into the characters in the future, but you can expect humor, pranks, Quidditch games, House rivalries, and a bit of romance sprinkled here and there.**

**Thanks for tuning in, and I would love to hear your thoughts in a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Peace, Be Gone!**_

**Chapter Two**

I stormed into the Great Hall, fuming. I was tired after classes, hungry, bored with the strange looks being thrown at my abnormal skin hue, and just generally pissed off. I gave a great huff, collapsing onto the Gryffindor bench in between Charlie and Tonks, who were arguing about Quidditch.

"Everybody knows that the Chudley Cannons _suck!"_ Tonks insisted, "They're, like, twenty-seventh in the league!"

"That doesn't matter," Charlie argued, backing up his favorite team in a futile battle against statistics, "They're still the best. The Cannons just lost their star players-"

"Oh, please," Tonks snorted, "The Cannons never _had_ any star players!"

"What do you think, Erin?" Charlie jabbed my shoulder, "Tell her I'm right?"

"Yes, please," Tonks rolled her eyes, "Enlighten us on how three goals in an entire season is excellent."

"I think," I growled, "That you both had better shut up before I hex you into next week."

"Ooh, someone's grouchy," Tonks frowned.

"I'm not grouchy," I mumbled, snatching a chicken leg as the food appeared, "I'm just hungry, tired, and I want this damn green off my body."

"It's not that bad," Charlie put a hand comfortingly on my shoulder.

"Are you kidding me?" I snorted, shrugging his hand off, "I look like the Wicked Witch of the West."

Tonks smirked, but Charlie just had a blank look on his face, "What?"

"It's a Muggle movie, Ginger, dear," Tonks cooed patronizingly, "Not something you would understand."

Charlie stuck his tongue out at her before returning to me, "Do you have any idea who your Rotten Slytherin Stalker is?"

I shrugged, "It's probably somebody in our year, but I don't even know all the seventh-year Slytherins."

Tonks looked at me, amazed, "We've been in classes with them since we were eleven, Erin! How can you not know their names?"

I shrugged, "It's not personal or anything- I just never had any reason to learn anything about them whatsoever."

"Let's start with who you know, then," Tonks said, "Maybe we can figure out who this is."

I nodded, "Anton Montague, for one, because he's creepy and a bully."

"And he fancies you," Charlie added.

I grimaced, "I was trying to forget about that. There's also Jackson Bulstrode, Archie Black, Alanis Johnson, and Betty Summers."

Tonks counted up on her fingers, "That's almost all of them- you're only missing Matthew Knight and Lucas Bolton."

"I'm surprised you don't know those two," Charlie said, "We've only played them in Quidditch just about every year."

"Really?" I blinked. I usually remembered who was on the rosters for Quidditch teams. As a Gryffindor Chaser, it was usually a tactic to pay attention to how the other groups flew. Charlie was the Seeker (and Captain), and Tonks referred to herself as a 'professional spectator,' "What positions do they play?"

"Bolton's on Seeker and Knight's a Chaser," Charlie said. I frowned. Even more upsetting that this Knight character had slipped my grasp lo these many years.

I tried to put it out of my mind and returned to my dinner. Eventually, the Hall began to empty. After much whining, I convinced Tonks and Charlie to leave for Gryffindor Tower, claiming that my Rotten Slytherin wouldn't appear unless I was alone. They grumbled, bur eventually complied, under the conditions that I left out no sordid detail in my retelling of events, and that they could resume the Exploding Snap tournament without me.

As I waited for the last few stragglers to leave the Great hall, I found myself getting more and more pissed off. Who the Hell did this guy (or girl) think he (or she) was? What in the name of Merlin's lazy pet rhino gave him (or her) the right to turn me green and then keep me waiting?

I sat in the Hall, stewing in my anger and staring at the floor for about ten more minutes until a voice cause me to jerk my head up.

"I don't suppose you've charmed your gaze to burn though the floor?" my eyes alighted upon none other than the boy I'd crashed into in the hallway earlier; tall, Quidditch-toned, with sandy, pale brown hair and eyes like melted chocolate. He had an easy-going, lopsided grin plastered on his face, and the way his hands were jammed into his pockets made him look like he didn't have a care in the world. I was about to tell him to leave me the Hell alone, but then I noticed the tie around his neck. Emerald green and shining silver, it seemed to be taunting me.

"_Knowing my luck, I probably would have run into some Rotten Slytherin."_

_Sincerely,_

_A Rotten Slytherin_

_Rotten Slytherin_

_Rotten Slytherin_

_Rotten Slytherin_

My eyes widened, and I couldn't believe that I hadn't put it together sooner, "It was _you!"_

The Rotten Slytherin quirked an eyebrow, "So it was."

I stood up slowly and brandished my wand at the brown-eyed prankster, growling, "Now, I may not look very angry, but trust me- I am. If you don't give me what antidote I need I the next four seconds, I promise that I will hex you so far into the future that you'll be taking your N.E.W.T.s with your grandchildren."

The tall boy's grin only got wider, as if he thought I was bluffing, "Well, if you're that anxious…" He reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a phial filled with a light pink potion. I eyed the mixture greedily, holding out my hand. He pressed it into my palm, holding on to my hand.

"Drink the entire bottle and then the green will start to fade," he said, "It should be cone by the time you get back to Gryffindor Tower."

I nodded, snatching my hand back from his, unstoppering the bottle and draining it in one gulp. The potion tasted like a strawberry milkshake. I tucked the vial into my pocket, not knowing if I would need it in the future. I took one last look at the grinning boy before heading to the exit.

"Hey, Gryffindor," I paused, turning around, "Don't you want to know my name?"

"I think it's physically impossible for me to care any less than I already do," I called back, "But whatever; go for it."

"I'm Matt," he crossed the Hall, standing in front of me and offering his hand, "Matt Knight."

I just looked at his outstretched hand, remembering how he hand stared at my own earlier in the day, "Right. Good to know." I turned on my heel and stalked away.

Behind me, Matt Knight, the mysterious Slytherin Chaser, laughed, "Erin Hart, I think I like you."

"Not for much longer, " I called behind me, rounding the corner and not looking back.

_**Author's Note:**_

**Right, now in case anybody notices, I have taken one or two liberties, here. First of all, Tonks and Charlie probably were not at school at the same time, and, on top of that, probably weren't best friends. Second, Tonks was a Hufflepuff, as far as I recall, so I changed that. A couple more changes might crop up here and there, but I'll try to stay as true to the books as I can. I mean, the Wizard of Oz reference may have been out of time, but as one of my favorite fictional men says, "Most people assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but, actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… Stuff."**

**So, there you have it, my excuse for any out-of-time references.**

**I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizard of Oz, Doctor Who, or any characters/quotes stemming from them. They are the properties of their own creators, and are being treated with love in my hands. **


	3. Chapter 3

_**Peace, Be Gone!**_

**Chapter Three**

I returned to the Gryffindor common room in a much better mood than when I'd left it. Charlie and Tonks were in the middle of the room, lying on their stomachs around a pack of cards with the rest of the seventh years. I grinned happily at the friends that I'd known for years; Charlie, of course, tall, gangly, and redheaded, Tonks, with a smattering of freckles across her nose and eyes that matched her fiercely purple hair, Antony and Ludovic Norton, troublemakers with sparkly green eyes and shaggy, dark brown hair, and Sean Tempest, tall, black-haired, dark-eyed, tan, and quiet.

Our first year had been a slow year for Gryffindor girls, not that Tonks and I really minded. We got our dorm's bathroom to ourselves instead of having to fight for it with five other girls.

I plonked down into the circle of my five best friends just as the last of my green faded away, "Hey, guys!" I chirped.

"Erin!" Antony looked up, "Nice to see you at a normal skin-tone."

"Thanks, Tony," I rolled my eyes.

"So, who was it?" Tonks asked, "Who's the Rotten Slytherin?"

"Matthew Knight," I said, recounting the entire encounter in the Great Hall. When I finished the sordid tale, I turned to the Nortons, "Tony, Vic, I have a plan to get him back, but I need your help."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ludovic saluted, laughing.

"Anything for you, our gracious captain!" Antony grinned.

"Good," I told them, "Meet me here at midnight, and bring your wands." I gestured toward the pack of cards, lying abandoned, "Deal me in?"

At midnight, I crept down the girl's staircase, careful of waking Tonks or any of the younger girls. Tony and Vic were waiting for me by the fireplace.

"There she is!" Tony grinned.

"We were about to give up on you," Vic's eyes shone with excitement.

I rolled my eyes, "You two are as dramatic as girls."

"I'm offended," Tony informed me.

"You should be, Tonya," I grinned, "You, too, Vicky."

"Insult accepted," Vic laughed, "Now tell me our plan; I've almost died in anticipation. Erin Hart's pranking debut!"

"This is what we're going to do," Tony and Vic's eyes widened as I outlined my prank in detail.

"That's-" Tony started.

"Brilliant!" Vic interrupted.

"How on Earth are you going to get him to drink all those potions, though?" Tony asked.

"That's where you two come in," I said, "I need to get to the kitchens and schmooze a House Elf, and I bet you two are just the Gryffindors to help me."

"Let's go, then, my lady," Vic gestured grandly to the portrait hole.

The journey to the kitchens was perilous and exciting- we had to jump into hidden rooms or hide behind tapestries from Mrs. Norris and Filch several times before we reached a giant painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Is this it?" I asked skeptically, "I walk past here everyday- and wouldn't it be a bit obvious for the kitchens to be behind a painting of food?"

"Oh, just shut up and tickle the pear," Vic groaned.

"Is that a euphemism?" I asked, "Because, Vicky, you know I love you, but-"

"It's not a euphemism!" Tony laughed, "Tickle the damn pear, Hart!"

I shrugged, reaching up to the painting and tickling the pear on the edge of the bowl of fruit. I jerked my hand back in surprise when the pear giggled, squirmed, and then transformed into a 3D door handle. I stared at it for a second before commenting, "Magic never ceases to amaze me."

Tony reached up, pulling the portrait-door open, "Erin Hart, welcome to the kitchens of Hogwarts."

I eagerly entered the room, immediately flabbergasted by the wall-to-wall, gleaming ovens and sparkling surfaces. Everywhere, House Elves were already working on the next day's meals.

"Wow," I breathed, "This is _so_ cool."

The portrait closed behind us as Tony and Vic joined me, one on either side. Almost immediately, a House Elf zoomed out of nowhere, big ears flopping and green eyes shining.

"Hello, misters and miss!" she squeaked, "What can Tizzy do for you?"

"Well, hi there, Tizzy!" Tony grinned, "I'm Antony Norton, this is my brother, Ludovic Norton…"

"And this is our friend, Erin Hart," Vic jerked his thumb at me.

"Tizzy is very happy to meet Miss Hart and the Misters Norton!" Tizzy looked deliriously happy; she was so adorable that I just wanted to hug her, "Can tizzy get anything for the nice sirs and miss?"

Tony started to open his mouth, and for more Elves rushed to Tizzy's side, "If we could have a plate of éclairs and a couple of mugs of hot chocolate, that'd be fabulous."

"And a slice of apple pie," Vic added.

"If it's no trouble," I smiled.

"It's no trouble at all, Miss!" another Elf squeaked, "We Elves love to serve!"

A few seconds later, the Elves had brought us chairs, a table, a mound of éclairs, Vic's pie, and three steaming mugs of the best hot chocolate I'd ever tasted.

"Good service," I murmured as most of the House Elves went back to their cooking.

"Can Tizzy do anything else for the nice sirs and miss?" Tizzy asked eagerly.

"Actually, Tizzy," Vic mumbled through a mouthful of pie, "Erin wants to ask a favor."

"Oh, yes!" Tizzy helped, "Yes, Tizzy would _love_ to help!"

In all the hullabaloo of the Kitchens, I'd nearly forgotten why we'd come. But now, I was back into my Mission Mode (trademarked).

"Well, Tizzy," I gave her an easy smile, "A friend of mine played a rather nasty prank on me today."

Tizzy gasped, "No!"

I nodded solemnly, "Yes. And I was wondering if you could help me get him back?"

"Tizzy would be honored to help the kind miss!" I winced as the poor Elf got so excited that she actually fell over.

"Thank you, Tizzy," I laughed, reaching down to help her up. I pulled six small vials out of my cloak and set them on the table. It had taken me three hours to get them ready, all neatly labeled ("Ears," "Tail," "Skin," "Fur," "Face," and "Voice") and filled to the brim with opaque, russet-brown potions, "All that you need to do is slip these into his food and I can take care of the rest."

Tizzy carefully picked up the vials, tucking them into her sackcloth dress, "But whose food should Tizzy put them in?"

"His name is Matthew Knight," I said, "He's a seventh year Slytherin boy."

"Tizzy will put the potions in Mister Knight's food for Miss Erin!" Tizzy smiled widely before clapping her hands over her mouth, "Tizzy means to say Miss Hart! Tizzy did not mean to be so familiar with Miss-"

"It's fine, Tizzy," I reached out and patted her shoulder, "We're friends now, right? Friends can call each other by their first names."

"Oh, yes! Tizzy would love to be friends with Miss Erin!" I smiled at her exuberant face, "Tizzy must go back to work now, but Tizzy hopes that Miss Erin and the misters Norton will come back and visit. That would make Tizzy very happy!"

"Of course we'll come back to see you, Tizzy," I smiled, standing up. Tony and Vic followed, and we exited the kitchens.

"That," Tony said as soon as the painting closed, "Was beautiful. Tizzy was all over you!"

"She was sweet," I grinned, "Come on, girls, let's get to bed."

The next morning came far too early, with Tonks smacking me with her pillow five times and threatening an _Aguamenti_ charm unless I got up. I eventually pulled myself out of bed, taking a shot of the energy potion I kept hidden under my bed. I started smiling idiotically when the potion kicked in, dressing quickly and running a brush though my hair.

"Ready to go?" Tonks asked, snapping a piece of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.

"Just about," I grabbed my school bag from the floor, adjusting the various, personalized buttons that hung there, pinned on the front, "Okay."

We made our way down to the common room, meeting up with Charlie, the twins, and Sean, who were bemoaning lessons.

"Cheer up, chaps," I grinned, slapping Sean heartily on the shoulder, "You got something to look forward to at breakfast!"

"What exactly were you planning?" Charlie asked.

I shushed him patronizingly, "Shush, dear. You'll see soon enough."

When we reached the Great Hall, breakfast was in full swing. I grinned to myself when I spotted Knight at the Slytherin table, chowing down on pancakes.

I slid onto the bench next to Tony, snatching a piece of bacon off a passing first-year's plate and ignoring the indignant "Hey!" that followed.

I was just digging into my own food when a loud, sharp _CRACK!_ next to me drew my attention.

"Tizzy!" I smiled, happy to see the Elf, "Nice to see you!"

"Tizzy is happy to see the kind miss, too!" she squeaked, "Tizzy just wanted to tell Miss Erin that Tizzy did what was asked of her!"

"Oh, thank you, Tizzy," I smiled, "Here, meet my other friends- you already know Tony and Vic," they each gave little waves, "But this is Sean Tempest, Charlie Weasley, and Nymphadora Tonks," Tonks shot me a sharp glare, "But she just goes by Tonks."

My friends each said hello, and Tizzy about fainted when Sean shook her tiny hand.

"Tizzy his very pleased to meet Miss Erin's friends!" the overwhelmed Elf squeaked, "Tizzy would love to stay and talk with Miss Erin's friends, but must be getting back to the Kitchens."

"That's all right, Tizzy," I smiled, "Thanks again for helping me. I'll come visit you in the Kitchens sometime soon."

"Tizzy is happy to help her friend!" with another loud _CRACK! _Tizzy disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"She's nice," Tonks commented, shoveling potatoes into her mouth.

"Now, you said we'd see the prank at breakfast?" Charlie prompted.

"Yes," I drew my wand. The gazes of all of my friends snapped to the Slytherin table, where Matthew Knight was chatting, unaware of the impending prank, "I just have to activate the potions with a charm- _Felinus Activus!"_

The change was gradual, but, before our eyes, Matthew Knight's skin turned a golden, russet brown. His hair darkened, growing rapidly, wildly, and unkempt. His eyes grew and changed colors, from their normal chocolate brown to a deep yellow. Rounded ears sprouted out of the top of his head, his nose turned triangular and black, and, lastly, a tail swished behind him, the same golden brown as his lightly furred skin.

"He changed me Slytherin color," I muttered, smirking a the humanoid lion, "I turned him into the Gryffindor mascot."

The Slytherin table was nearly silent, all of them staring at Knight. Slowly, the rest of the Hall realized something was wrong, turning their eyes to my Rotten Slytherin, as well.

Knight had no idea. He looked up and around, confused, before turning to the kid next to him, "Luke, what's everybody looking-" he halted midsentence. He'd realized, but only because his voice was off. It was subtle, but distinct.

His voice, usually silky smooth, was growling.

Knight looked at his skin. He grabbed the nearest reflective plate and held it up, looking into it.

And he laughed, a throaty, growling lion laugh.

The Great Hall went back to normal, and he looked right at me. I raised an eyebrow, smirking.

I watched Knight pull some parchment, a quill, and ink out of his bag, scribble a note, and cast some spell on it.

The parchment appeared in my hands.

_Well played, Erin Hart._

_Well played, indeed._

_But, you do realize that this now means we're in a full-on Prank War?_

_Be prepared._

_Cordially,_

_Matt Knight_

_A.K.A. "The Rotten Slytherin"_

_P.S. How long do I get to be a lion?_

I scribbled back on the parchment, my scratchy handwriting nearly indistinguishable from his.

_Potion wears off after lessons._

_Have fun with McGonagall_

_-Erin Hart_

I tapped the parchment with my wand, and it vanished.

"Erin," I looked up, startled. I'd forgotten I was with my friends, "That was _BRILLIANT_."

"Glad you thought so, Tonks," I laughed, "Want in on the next one?"

"Merlin, yes!" she cried.

"I'd love to have your help," I grinned, "Come on- don't want to be late for Transfiguration. Minnie'd kill us."

My merry group of friends left the Great Hall, but just as I as leaving, I cast a glace back at the Slytherin table.

Knight was chatting again, laughing amiably with his friends, rubbing his hand-paws through his (rather grand) lion's mane. I was just about to leave when he looked up,

Caught my eye,

And winked.

_**Author's Note:**_

**Well, thanks again for tuning in! It's a longer chapter than normal, but I actually hope I can keep up with this length; I rather like it.**

**So, the Prank War has begun! Already, Erin has retaliated on Matt, turning him into a lion!**

**I'm not going to beg you for reviews, because I don't like it when authors do that. However, if you would be so kind as to donate your thoughts to the betterment of Erin and Matt's tale, I will always graciously accept. I just like to know that my stuff is being read and if people like it.**

**Thanks!**


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